Prospect Talent Score

Probability of Success

History

2006-07: Again appearing with Medelpad at the TV-Pucken tournament, Anton Lander tallied a pair of goals and six points through five games, his best total in the tourney to date. He also saw action with Timra U18 and U20, scoring a combined 19 points in 22 games. He competed internationally with the Swedish U17 club, registering four points (1g+3a) in seven games.

2007-08: Lander netted four goals and five points through for games with Medelpad at the TV-Pucken tournament, his third straight season with the club. He also spent time with the U20 and top Timra clubs, netting five goals and 19 points in 18 games with the junior club. He didn’t see as much success with the top squad, where he only potted a goal and three points through 32 games. He competed with the Swedish U18 Team at the WJC, registering two goals through six games, and was a member of the champion Ivan Hlinka Memorial tourney team.

2008-09: The center appeared with Timra (Elitserien) this season, netting four goals and 10 points through 47 games. He also tested the international circuit with the Swedish U18 squad, most notably when he tallied nine points (2g+7a) in six games at the WJC-18 (he was named a Top 3 Player on Team at the tourney).

2009-10: Lander was an assistant captain for Timra as an 18-year-old in his second season in Sweden's Elitserien and skated for Sweden at the 2010 U20 World Junior Championship. In 49 games he scored 7 goals with 9 assists and was -2 with 14 PMs as Timra finished eighth in the 12-team league. Lander had 2 assists and was -4 with 2 PMs in five playoff games. He was also an assistant captain for Sweden at the junior tournament in Saskatchewan; scoring a team-leading 5 goals with 3 assists and finishing +5 in six games as Sweden won the Bronze medal after defeating Switzerland in the third-place game.

2010-11: Länder was the third-leading scorer for Timra in his third season and played for Team Sweden at the 2011 U20 World Junior Championship. Lander scored 11 goals with 15 assists in 49 games as Timra finished tenth in the Elitserien. Lander was the team captain for Sweden, which reached the semifinals at the junior tournament; losing to eventual champion Russia in a shootout and then falling to the host team USA in the bronze medal game. Lander scored 1 goal with 3 assists and was +4 in six games.

2011-12: Lander made his NHL debut with Edmonton as a 20-year old after an impressive training camp and skated in 56 games as a rookie – mostly in a lower line role. He scored 2 goals with 4 assists and was minus-eight with 12 penalty minutes; averaging 10:36 minutes of ice time. Lander was sent down to AHL Oklahoma City in March to get more ice time and was with the Barons during their playoff run. He scored 1 goal with 4 assists and was minus-one with 10 penalty minutes in 14 regular season games. He was an even plus-minus with 2 goals and 2 assists in 14 playoff games as the Barons reached the AHL semifinals.

Talent Analysis

A very smart two-way player with excellent hockey sense. Lander reads the game well and makes mature decisions with and without the puck. Plays with some intensity, but his skating needs some improvement. Is a capable playmaker that protects the puck very well and usually comes out with the puck from the corners and along the boards. Defensively aware and with leadership skills.

Future

Lander is a quintessential third line center--he excels at the finer points of the game, has an inherent defensive ability rarely seen in younger players, and has been a natural leader at every level. Expect him to be a fixture on the Oilers third line and in their penalty killing rotation in the not-too-distant future, and don't be surprised if he's wearing a letter sooner than later either.

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